Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Raw Brownie

 Never have I ever been so utterly convinced that a food this decadent tasting can also be healthy. Yes, you read that right. These super moist, extra fudgy, uber chocolatey brownies are good for you. Seriously people, I don't think I ever need to make traditional brownies ever again. They're sweetened with dates, bulked up with walnuts and loaded with the antioxidant powerhouse raw cacao powder. Other than some almonds added for some crunch, that's it. I am completely in love. There's no refined sugar, no flour, butter, or eggs. There's no chalky brownie mix, no mixing bowls to clean up, and no waiting for them to bake. Did I mention they're healthy? Oh yeah, I already did. I think I've found the perfect dessert, people. Make these.
 You will need a food processor for this. There's just no way around it. And be sure to get your hands on raw cacao powder and organic unsulfered dried dates, if you can. While you could definitely use regular cocoa powder and still get a perfect result and taste, you won't get the superfood antioxidant boost.

The Raw Brownie (from Sarah at My New Roots...what an amazing woman)
2 cups whole walnuts
2 ½ cups Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup raw cacao
1 cup raw unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
¼ tsp. sea salt

1. Place walnuts in food processor and blend on high until the nuts are finely ground.

2. Add the cacao and salt. Pulse to combine.

3. Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the food processor while it is running. What you should end up with is a mix that appears rather like cake crumbs, but that when pressed, will easily stick together (if the mixture does not hold together well, add more dates).

4. In a large bowl (or the pan you plan on putting the brownies in), combine the walnut-cacao mix with the chopped almonds. Press into an 8"x8" cake pan lined with parchment paper. Place in freezer or fridge until ready to serve (it is also easier to cut these when they are very cold). Store in an airtight container.



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3 comments:

  1. Hi, I love your recipes, thay are beautiful! At my toddlers pre-school they have a NO NUT POLICY, what can you recomend instead of nuts for this brownie recipe.....and also any other kid friendly cookie, slice, ball that is nut friendly and hold up in their lunch boxes....much appreciated...mum x

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    1. Hi there! Thank you so much for commenting! I think this recipe may work if you substitute sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds in place of the walnuts. You may need to add a touch of some type of oil for moisture, but I think it will work. As far as another snack idea, I recently posted a recipe for energy bars that use all seeds (except there's coconut in them, but you can leave that out and substitute cold-pressed sunflower seed oil for the coconut oil). I know some health food stores carry sunflower seed butter and pumpkin seed butter, so you can google some snack recipes that use peanut butter and just substitute it with the sunflower or pumpkin butter. Hope this helps! Much love and health to you. -Renee

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